Buffy 702: Strawberry
by ScarletNicky
Summary: Sequel to The Third Antichrist. Co-written with Kimi. Willow fights for her life in Illusia as Dawn and Buffy both visit Spike's crypt.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer 702-Strawberry  
  
Writers: Kimi & ScarletNicky  
  
Author's Notes: This is the second episode of our alternate Season 7. Two of the scenes in this episode are re-workings of Kimi's story "Voices in the Dark." Also, thanks to Colleen for the help with editing, and to Epiphany for a story idea that is foreshadowed here.  
  
Alternate Season 7 Website: www.talesfromthescript.com. Should be updated by Monday night.  
  
Disclaimer: This ain't a real episode. Unfortunately. But we'll be happy to write one whenever Joss wants us to.  
  
Watch for Episode 3, coming soon. It will be written by RetroSkater, and will be posted under her name.  
  
ALYSON HANIGAN (V.O.): Previously on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer:"  
  
FROM "FOOL FOR LOVE"  
  
BUFFY: It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you.  
  
She tosses a wad of money at him. It scatters over him and the ground. Her expression is filled with contempt.  
  
BUFFY: You're beneath me.  
  
FROM "SEEING RED"  
  
SPIKE: I know you feel like I do. You don't have to hide it anymore.  
  
He moves to kiss her. She gently tries to stop him.  
  
Now Spike is on her, pinning her against the back of the tub, oblivious to her pain and cries. His kisses are desperate, forceful.  
  
SPIKE: (kissing her) Let it go... Let yourself love me...  
  
BUFFY: Stop it... please... stop...  
  
He tears at her robe, getting it open.  
  
BUFFY: Stop!  
  
She kicks him back, hard. He smashes into the opposite wall, cracking the plaster and crashing to the floor.  
  
Spike looks up at her, realizing just how far he crossed the line.  
  
SPIKE: Oh God. Buffy...I didn't -  
  
BUFFY: Ask me again why I could never love you.  
  
Blood splatters against the front of Willow's white shirt. CU on her horrified face. Tara stares at Willow's bloody shirt, trying to make sense of it.  
  
TARA: Your shirt...  
  
Tara collapses to the floor. Willow kneels over Tara. Tara is unmoving, lifeless.  
  
WILLOW: Tara? Come, on baby. Get up. Please. Tara...  
  
She raises her head. We see the pain and fury. Her eyes have gone completely black. The look on her face says somebody's going to pay.  
  
FROM "VILLAINS"  
  
WILLOW: Bored now.  
  
With a flick of her arm, Willow sends a bolt of fiery energy that rips open Warren's skin. He skinless body slumps forward.  
  
Buffy, Xander and Anya emerge into the clearing. Stunned. Warren's skin hangs from the trees.  
  
Willow turns to face her friends.  
  
WILLOW: One down.  
  
FROM "TWO TO GO"  
  
WILLOW: Oh, Buffy. You really need to have every square inch of your ass kicked.  
  
Willow sidekicks Buffy, sending her flying through the counter, shattering the glass.  
  
FROM "GRAVE"  
  
DAWN: Y'know if Spike was here, he'd go back and fight.  
  
XANDER: Sure, if he wasn't too busy trying to rape your sister.  
  
DAWN freezes, stunned.  
  
DAWN: What?  
  
XANDER: The only useful thing that animal ever did was finally leave town.  
  
WILLOW (tears starting to flow): Stop...  
  
She fires a blast of magical energy at Xander, but he keeps coming.  
  
XANDER: I love you.  
  
Xander kneeling next to Willow, holding her as she cries.  
  
SPIKE: So, give me what I want. Make me what I was...so Buffy can get what she deserves.  
  
VOICE: Very well.  
  
A REPTILLIAN HAND reaches out to Spike's bare chest  
  
VOICE (cont'd): We will return your soul.  
  
As the hand touches him, Spike's eyes glow and he throws his head back and SCREAMS in agony...  
  
FROM "THE THIRD ANTICHRIST"  
  
TARA: Yes. It'll be hard and confusing. There'll be trials. And a sorceress, and a girl, and a snake...  
  
WILLOW: Like a fairy tale?  
  
TARA: Yeah, kinda like that. Except real.  
  
AMY: There's my grandmother's house.  
  
The house comes into view.  
  
AGATHA: You girls...you make me feel (looks at Amy) young (now at Willow) and powerful again.  
  
SPIKE (struggling): Buffy...get...Dawn...go!  
  
Spike screams. He's burning. Steaming drops of liquid coming off the Master's body are dripping to the floor, causing it to dissolve. It's like acid. But Buffy doesn't waver. She now has enough time to strike. She picks one of the weapons off the floor, breaks it in half, and shoves it through the Master from behind.  
  
He turns around, wood protruding from his chest. Buffy is stunned. The Master only smiles and backhands her to the floor, steaming liquid burning the floor near her feet.  
  
Buffy lies in a heap on the floor, looking up at the triumphant form of the Master, which now seems to be dissolving, melting.  
  
BUFFY (to Xander): We can't beat him.  
  
MASTER: I really want ALL of you to witness the Great Transfiguration. That's why you were invited. It's truly an experience not to be missed.  
  
Then he begins to grow taller and wider, changing shape and color. The ground starts to crack and more of the acidic liquid pours off him, burning sizzling holes into the floor.  
  
Their enemy has become a dragon, or at least something resembling one. The eyes are glowing red, the body now scarlet and reptilian.  
  
GILES: What the hell are you?  
  
MABUS: Who and what am I really?  
  
The formless creature's face becomes that of Adam.  
  
MABUS/ADAM (cont'd): Not a man among you remembers.  
  
Then it dissipates, and is gone. Everyone stands there, stunned.  
  
ALEX: Was that the Devil?  
  
GILES: Yes. I believe it was.  
  
  
  
TEASER  
  
EXT. - NIGHT, ILLUSIA'S GROUNDS.  
  
A full moon is out, lighting the way, plus there are many nightlights around the grounds. Amy and Willow are walking in the high grass, near a pond.  
  
WILLOW: Illusia. What beautiful name for a place.  
  
AMY: Yeah. You can tell my grandma's rich. Only rich people give their estates names. In fact, only rich people call where they live 'estates.'  
  
WILLOW: I admit, your grandmother seemed pretty strange at first, but now she seems...pretty strange. But in a good way.  
  
AMY: Yeah. I couldn't believe she said all that stuff to you the first day. But then again, she's always been kinda like that. Direct. Likes to get a reaction. Put you on the spot. I think she thinks that's good for people, making them commit to a direction.  
  
WILLOW: Maybe she's right. I'm actually getting sorta used to her now. And she's helped me a lot with control. Now I feel like I'm gaining the same power and control I had when I went dark, without the, y'know, darkness. She said she can teach us that teleportation thing that Anya does.  
  
AMY: Really? Cool. She must be even more powerful than I thought. I knew she was good at teaching and stuff, but I never knew she was all that powerful. I mean, sometimes it seemed like she was, but then later I always thought it might have been an illusion.  
  
WILLOW: Hence, the name. I thought I saw rainbow-colored trees earlier today, but when I went up to them, they were just normal.  
  
AMY: Yeah, she makes things like that happen a lot. She used to let me see unicorns when I was younger. 'Cause I was into them. Bet I would have loved all this wet high grass when I was a rat.  
  
Willow laughs.  
  
AMY (cont'd): But I had a tyrant for an owner and she kept me locked up in a cage.  
  
Willow looks hurt, gets defensive.  
  
WILLOW: Wh-? Amy, I-I didn't keep you locked up all the time...did I? I mean, me and Buffy got you out and played with you on the bed, and-and we got you one of those wheel thingies and fed you and...I had no idea you felt this way.  
  
AMY (laughing): I'm just kidding. Actually, I don't remember much about it. Which is probably a good thing. Otherwise, I'd probably go insane. Well, more insane.  
  
WILLOW: You think you're insane?  
  
AMY: Well, probably. You don't think you are?  
  
WILLOW: Well, I'mmmm...quirky. Unusual. Some may even say eccentric. That doesn't necessarily mean I need to be modeling the Fall straight jacket line.  
  
AMY: Girlfriend, come on. Why are we here? I was a rat for three years. Bound to be some residual issues from that. And you? You tried to kill all your friends and destroy the world. Babe, I hate to break it to you, but even the average postal employee keeps the carnage confined to the office.  
  
WILLOW: Oh yes, please bring that up as often as possible, because we can just never talk enough about that.  
  
AMY: I'm not trying to throw it in your face. I'm just saying we are, by society's standards, insane.  
  
WILLOW: Are not.  
  
They stop walking as they've finally reached the pond. Iron Maiden's "Still Life" begins to play softly in the background.  
  
Take a look in the pool and what do you see/  
  
In the dark depths there are faces beckoning me/ Can't you see them it's plain for all to see/ They were there, oh I know you don't believe me/  
  
Oh, they drain my strength away/ Oh, they're asking me to stay/ Nightmares/ Spirits calling m/e Nightmares/  
  
They won't leave me be/  
  
All my life's blood is slowly draining away/ And I feel that I'm weaker every day/ Somehow I know I haven't long to go/ Joining them at the bottom of the pool/  
  
Oh, I feel they are so near/ I begin to see them clear/ Nightmares/ Coming all the time/ Nightmares/ They give me peace of mind/  
  
AMY: Mmm'kay. A little sanity test. You believe in witches.  
  
WILLOW: Well, yeah.  
  
AMY: Vampires.  
  
Willow nods.  
  
AMY: Demons, mummies, trolls, fairies, little sisters that are really blobs of-  
  
WILLOW: Well, that's not fair. Those things are rea-hey, I don't believe in fairies. At least, I haven't seen any yet.  
  
AMY: I know those things are real, but most of society doesn't believe in them and thinks you're crazy if you do. My point is, don't worry about it. Embrace your inner nutball. There are millions and millions of average people in this world, Will. Just thank The Goddess we're not two of them. We're crazy. Not that there's anything wrong with that.  
  
Willow turns back toward the water, thinking about this.  
  
We look into the water with her. Ripples appear. They begin to take shape, come forward. Faces. Faces made of water form all over the pond. Amy and Willow look at each other, then back at the water, stunned. The faces begin to speak all at once, all saying essentially the same things. Their voices are watery and slow, like records played at too slow a speed.  
  
WATER FACES: heeeellllppp uuussss ssssaaaavvvveee uuussss coooolllllddddddd lossssttttt ssssaaaavvvveee uuussss heeeellllppp uuussss coooolllllddddddd saaavvvveee-  
  
Amy and Willow are freaked out.  
  
AMY: See, now that's what I'm talking about.  
  
Black.  
  
OPENING CREDITS - BUFFY THEME PLAYS  
  
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendan, Emma Caulfield, Alyson Hanigan, James Marsters and Michelle Trachtenberg  
  
Listed among the guest stars are: Elizabeth Anne Allen, Amber Benson and Anthony Stewart Head  
  
  
  
  
  
ACT ONE  
  
INT. - THE MAGIC BOX, DAY.  
  
Anya, Buffy, Dawn & Xander are seated at a table. Giles is on his feet, leading the meeting. He is reading from the Bible.  
  
GILES: (from the Bible) It says that this beast will have seven heads and ten horns, and that one of its forms has the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. Then it mentions that it derives its power from the dragon. Perhaps that means Satan himself, or possibly it refers the dragon form as being the one in which he's the most powerful.  
  
XANDER: He seemed pretty damn powerful in all of them. If he disguises himself as a boy band singer, then I have a feeling a teenybopper's gonna kick our asses. Which I really hope he doesn't do, because I can't think of anything more humiliating than having my ass kicked by Justin Timberlake.  
  
BUFFY: I thought all that stuff in the Bible about the Beast or the Antichrist or whatever was just symbolism. Not to be taken literally.  
  
GILES: Well, it seemed pretty literal the other night. But if we accept what he said, Mabus is playing a role. Fitting himself into the prophecies contained in the Bible, Nostradamus' quatrains, the Codex.  
  
BUFFY: It never really occurred to me that those predictions about the Antichrist might really happen. That all those religious fanatics might be right.  
  
ANYA: Oh, lots of religious fanatics are right. I remember, there was this dimension once where the people worshipped this little pink thing that smiled and looked like a stuffed bear, except with a really long nose.  
  
DAWN: Awww, that's cute.  
  
ANYA: It was. And they argued about the words he'd allegedly spoken centuries before, and divided into groups, and developed competing legends of what would happen when he retuned.  
  
DAWN: That seems a little irrational.  
  
ANYA: That's what I thought, too. But a friend of mine was there for a seminar one time, and what do you know, the little feller showed up and banished about half of them to some hell dimension where they had all their skin peeled off and were then roasted and eaten by these piglike things.  
  
They all look at Anya, disturbed. She's just smiling and bouncing perkily.  
  
ANYA (more serious): Oh, don't worry, Dawn. I'm sure he just roasted the bad ones.  
  
Giles clears his throat.  
  
GILES: Well, at any rate, we need to study every prediction that might pertain to Mabus. If he is trying to fit himself into them, then he will be making his moves dependent on his reading of the very same predictions. So we'll research, plan, and hope he isn't as invincible as he seems.  
  
DAWN: Well, he's not completely invincible. I mean, he was gonna sacrifice me or whatever, and you all stopped him. He couldn't finish the ritual.  
  
BUFFY: We didn't stop him, Dawn. We just made things inconvenient for him. He could have still beaten us. Easily. And then done anything he wanted. He just decided not to. He would have had to kill me and Spike and Xander first, and he didn't want to do that. He wants us all alive, to watch.  
  
XANDER: Why would he want that?  
  
GILES: Perhaps there's no point in becoming God if there's no one to witness it. No one to fear or worship you.  
  
XANDER: I don't buy it. I think there's more to it than that. It's not just that he wants us to fear him. He needs us to. I think it's part of his power. Like the Fear Demon.  
  
BUFFY: Hmm, you may be right. It seemed like he said something like that when I asked him about the child murders. He taunts us where we're most vulnerable. Like with Spike.  
  
GILES: Speaking of which.  
  
DAWN (worried): Wonder where he went? You don't think Drusilla has him, do you?  
  
ANYA: Well, they did disappear at the same time, and he was hardly in shape to take care of himself.  
  
GILES: Yes. It would make sense to assume Drusilla took him.  
  
DAWN (hopefully): Maybe she just took him back home. To his crypt. She did seem worried about him. She changed sides to save him.  
  
XANDER: Wonderful. Woody's got his Juliet Lewis back. Hope those crazy kids pack up their dollies in that DeSoto and have all kinds of wacky bloodletting hijinks...far away from here.  
  
DAWN: Someone should check on him.  
  
BUFFY: Don't even think about it, Dawn. Drusilla could be with him.  
  
DAWN: Spike wouldn't let her hurt me.  
  
XANDER: Dawn, I can't believe you. You know what that monster did to Buffy.  
  
DAWN: He risked his life to save me. He saved all of us.  
  
XANDER: That was incidental, Dawn. It was all done to impress Buffy. Just another angle to try to get with her. And even if Drusilla's not there, what about Spike? He was gone a long time. He talked about changes.  
  
GILES: That's true. And we still don't know where he's been.  
  
XANDER: He probably went to try to get the chip out. What if he succeeded?  
  
DAWN: He still wouldn't hurt me.  
  
XANDER: Do you really think he can control himself? Ask Buffy if he can.  
  
Buffy looks embarrassed. Clearly something she doesn't want to talk about. Dawn just looks down. She hates this being brought up.  
  
BUFFY: Xander-  
  
XANDER: No, I'm saying this, because it needs to be said before somebody does something stupid. Spike cares about you, Dawn. I believe that. And maybe he even thinks he loves Buffy in his own contorted way. Maybe he even wants to be better. But he can't. When it comes right down to it, he's a vampire. Soulless and evil. (to Buffy) And anybody who forgets that, even for a second, is playing with fire.  
  
INT. - AGATHA'S MANSION.  
  
In the same room that Agatha read Amy and Willow the story in "The Third Antichrist."  
  
WILLOW (to Amy): No, don't mention the pond.  
  
AMY: Why not?  
  
WILLOW: Because we don't know.why she made it. If she did.  
  
Agatha walks in, smiling at the girls.  
  
AGATHA: I trust you both slept well. Anything interesting happen last night?  
  
AMY (shaking head): No. Pretty uneventful.  
  
AGATHA: Really? You weren't in your rooms. You were out for hours. Surely something  
  
interesting happened during that time.  
  
AMY: Were we not supposed to go out?  
  
AGATHA (laughing): Of course you can go out, dear. Illusia isn't a prison. There are wondrous sights to be seen here. I just thought you might want to share them. But very well, keep your secrets. Now, let's get started with your training.  
  
Amy looks at Willow as if imploring her to come clean about the water faces. Willow gives Amy a stern look that says no.  
  
Agatha walks across the spacious room and the two young wiccans follow.  
  
CUT: TIME PASSAGE IMPLIED  
  
Agatha, Amy and Willow appear to be in the middle of the ocean. Each is surrounded by a glowing air bubble. Jellyfish, sea horses, stingrays and other ocean life are swimming all around them. It looks like they're in the  
  
middle of Ripley's Aquarium. All three women are smiling, delighted.  
  
AGATHA: Now relax, concentrate, and slip back into reality. Make the transition smooth.  
  
Willow closes her eyes and waves her arms. A power current can be seen passing between her outstretched hands. The illusion disappears. The ocean and the air bubbles are gone, and the three women slowly drift back to the floor. They are back in the room again.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): You can make the illusion real. If it seems real not only to you, but to everyone else in your environment, then it is real.  
  
WILLOW: I really want to thank you for all your help these past few days, Agatha. Last year, I got addicted to magic, and I thought the only way to deal was to quit completely. But then after Tara, well, I couldn't stick to it.  
  
AGATHA: There's nothing wrong with using magic, Willow, as long as you use it the way it was meant to be used. Most human beings use only a small percentage of their brains. If we could learn to channel all the powers of the mind, we could accomplish almost anything. Even alter reality.  
  
WILLOW: I was never very powerful until I used dark magick. Then I was filled with rage.  
  
AGATHA: You don't have to be enraged to be powerful. In fact, you are more powerful  
  
if you are controlled. Not giving in to your emotions. The ultimate power is being able to control your environment, rather than having it control you.  
  
WILLOW: Yeah. I understand. And I want you to teach me that. But there's this other  
  
thing I want you to help me with, too.  
  
AGATHA: What's that, dear?  
  
WILLOW: Well, there's this ball of sunshine thing I've been working on for Buffy. To try and cheer her up. Well, I was thinking you might help me with that. The  
  
last time I saw her, I tried to bury her underground and turn her sister into a little energy blob, so, y'know, I kinda hate to go home empty handed.  
  
Agatha smiles at her, amused.  
  
CUT TO: LATER The training session is over.  
  
Amy and Willow start back to their rooms, Willow trailing a little behind. As Amy walks into a room, she begins to notice something strange, and slows down. Something is wrong. She looks as if she's in unfamiliar territory.  
  
AMY: (to self) This room wasn't here before. (to Willow) Willow? Did you--?  
  
She looks back into the hallway she had just come from, but she doesn't see her friend. In fact, it now seems as if she is completely alone in the house. And that's not all. It doesn't even look like a hallway anymore. Instead, she sees another room.  
  
Warily, Amy creeps into the room. No one there. But the door is open and on the other side, another room. There are doors on every side, all leading to rooms that weren't there before. And it seems to have gotten darker inside the house. The place has become a maze.  
  
Amy begins repeatedly calling out for Willow, rapidly going through the rooms. Camera spins as we follow her, helping us reach her level of confusion.  
  
It's very dark now, and Amy has to feel along the walls to find her way. She feels her way through another doorway, takes a few steps, and suddenly her feet start spinning. She tries to run, but the floor beneath her is moving.  
  
Suddenly, a light comes on, and we can see where she is. The walls are wire, she's running on a wheel, there is a bowl of water to her right. She's in a hamster cage.  
  
She jumps off the wheel onto the floor without looking, and lands just next to: A RAT TRAP, bigger than she is. A huge glob of cheese in the middle. Before she has a chance to fully process all this, a deafening 'meow' comes from above. It's a giant CAT. The cat's blocking the back way out, and Amy has to dodge a flailing paw as she runs across the room toward a small doorway on the other side. The paw comes down right behind her, and she has to slide head-first to squeeze through the opening.  
  
INT. - NEXT ROOM  
  
We can hear the cat scraping the wall and wailing in frustration on the other side. Amy tries to gather some composure as she stands up and looks around. She's in a room filled with mirrors on all sides. She looks into them and sees...  
  
...she has the head of a RAT. Amy screams and Agatha appears out of nowhere and slides up next to her.  
  
AGATHA: Awful, isn't it? To have nowhere to look but at yourself? Inside yourself. Your true self.  
  
AMY RAT: Wh-what's going on? This room wasn't here before.  
  
AGATHA: Oh yes, it was always here. You just couldn't face it. And who can blame you? If I were you, I couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror either.  
  
Amy is horrified, hurt.  
  
AMY RAT: Grandma? Why are you saying these things to me? You sound like mom.  
  
AGATHA: I taught your mother everything she knew...but not everything I know. And she was my greatest failing. There's no reason she shouldn't have succeeded in stealing your body and keeping it. It's such an easy trick.  
  
AMY: I don't understand...  
  
Agatha fixes Amy with a demented stare. Amy looks back, very afraid. Her mouth opens, as if she's about to scream.  
  
AGATHA: Your mother was right about one thing. That firm young body is wasted on you. And your power. About the only thing it ever got you was turned into a rodent. Which is probably a better ending than you deserve for being such a failure.  
  
Amy starts to cry.  
  
AMY: No, no...  
  
AGATHA: And look at me. I'm running out of time! My spirit is young, but my body is wearing out. I have so much to contribute. And you, you'll never do anything. You're all used up. See??  
  
Amy turns her head and looks into the mirrors. She is still rat-faced, but Agatha is now wearing HER face.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): You know, the old saying, 'youth is wasted on the young.' Finally, somebody's done something about it.  
  
AMY RAT: No! Not again!!  
  
AGATHA: It's your fate! You can't escape it! You've earned it, my little rat!  
  
Amy takes off running through the maze of dark little rooms. She sees a light and heads for it. Agatha's voice shouts after her as she runs.  
  
AGATHA (O.C.): Run, little rat! Run! But you're an old rat! About to die! Never know when a vulture might be circling!  
  
Amy finds the light. It's an open door, leading outside.  
  
EXT. - OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, LATE AFTERNOON  
  
Amy, in rat face, emerges from the house, running in a panic. She hears something: a loud shriek from above. She looks up. It's a giant vulture, a larger version of the bird from Willow's dream in "The Third Antichrist."  
  
Amy stops, paralyzed in fear as she looks up to see it swooping down. She looks up and screams in absolute terror. We see its eyes open, glowing red, and it fills the screen.  
  
INT. - WILLOW'S ROOM  
  
Tired, Willow walks into her room, completely oblivious that anything is happening to Amy. She notices something. It's a book, lying on the bed. She walks over and plops down on her stomach on the bed, picking it up. It's the "Strawberry" book.  
  
She looks at it in wonder, afraid to look inside. Tentatively, she turns a few pages. Pages we've seen before. She stops and closes it, laying it back on the bed in front of her.  
  
WILLOW: Nope. That's okay. Some things I don't wanna know.  
  
Willow hears a scream outside. She goes to her second story window and looks down. She sees what appears to be a humanoid rat, looking up, putting its hands in front of its face in a futile gesture as the giant vulture picks it up in its talons.  
  
Willow starts to run out of the room, but something stops her. On her bed, the book has come alive. Its pages are flipping on their own. She goes to it.  
  
C.U. on the book: It flips quickly past the earlier pages we'd seen before. It stops briefly on a new page. An a rat-faced woman getting scooped up by a giant bird of prey. What we've just seen.  
  
It flips again. C.U. on Willow's horrified face as she looks down at the book.  
  
ZOOM in on the book. Last page. Strawberry is lying in the middle of the pond we saw earlier. Her eyes are open, glassy and dead.  
  
Blackout.  
  
  
  
ACT II  
  
INT. - AMY'S ROOM, LATE AFTERNOON  
  
Agatha (in Amy's Body) sits calmly on the bed, leafing through a graphic novel. We can see the cover: it's Neil Gaiman's "Sandman: Prelude & Nocturnes."  
  
Note: Elizabeth Anne Allen now portrays Agatha  
  
Willow rushes in, carrying "Strawberry."  
  
WILLOW: Oh God, Amy. I'm glad-I thought-I thought you were a rat again.  
  
Amy just laughs.  
  
AMY: Pack your stuff. We gotta get out of here.  
  
AGATHA: Why? I'm just starting to enjoy myself.  
  
WILLOW: Your grandmother, she's lost control of things. Something's happened. I don't think it's safe here anymore.  
  
Amy (Agatha) looks up at her, still not getting too worked up.  
  
AGATHA: Oh, I never lose control of anything, Strawberry. Especially here.  
  
Willow stares at her, processing. It doesn't take long.  
  
WILLOW: Agatha.  
  
AGATHA: I knew it wouldn't take you long. I could tell you were the brighter one. I'm counting on your intelligence to help us both out here. And your ability to reason.  
  
WILLOW: Once I see something reasonable.  
  
AGATHA: I'm going to give you reasonable. You're a smart woman, Strawberry. And a smart woman knows her limitations.  
  
WILLOW: You just gonna sit here paraphrasing Dirty Harry all day, or are you going to explain how someone could betray their own granddaughter out of vanity?  
  
AGATHA: Vanity? Is that what you think it is? Maybe you're not so smart, after all.  
  
WILLOW: Then why don't you explain it to me?  
  
AGATHA: I don't want her looks. I want her time. I was running out. She was wasting it anyway. As far as betrayal, she betrayed herself.  
  
WILLOW: So you did the same thing to her Catherine did.  
  
AGATHA: My daughter stumbled on a good idea every once in a while. Her problem was in the execution. Well, inexperience, you know.  
  
WILLOW: Is she dead?  
  
Agatha looks shocked that Willow would even suggest such a thing.  
  
AGATHA: Of course not! What kind of monster do you think I am?  
  
WILLOW: Is that a rhetorical question, or are you expecting an answer?  
  
Agatha laughs. No Dr. Doom stuff here, but genuine laughter.  
  
AGATHA: I like you, Strawberry. That's why I'm going to give you a choice.  
  
WILLOW: You mean like hanging or electrocution?  
  
AGATHA (laughs again): I told you, I have no reason to kill you. And Amy, she's not dead, just...somewhere else.  
  
WILLOW: When's she coming back? I'd like to see her.  
  
Willow's turning hard again, like in "Villains" and "Two to Go." She's preparing herself mentally for a fight to the death, and her countenance shows it.  
  
Agatha's good humor turns to a cold glare now.  
  
AGATHA: When I no longer rule Illusia.  
  
WILLOW: That soon?  
  
AGATHA: I'm counting on you to be smart, Strawberry, for both our sakes. You can fight me to the death if you wish, but we both know how that turns out.  
  
She nods at the book Willow is holding.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): Or you can relinquish the power willingly. I should think it would be an easy decision. What have you done with it, besides try to kill your friends and destroy the world?  
  
WILLOW: I wish I got paid a royalty for every time somebody says that.  
  
AGATHA: The point is if you can't wield the power, give it up to someone who can.  
  
WILLOW: You? What was all that about using magic the way it was meant to be used?  
  
AGATHA: This is how it was meant to be used. You tried to use it to destroy. I'll use it to create. To improve. I'll make the whole world as breathtaking as Illusia.  
  
WILLOW: Drowned souls living in the lakes, giant vultures scooping folks up, girls turning into rats. Wow, who wouldn't want to live in a wonderland like that? I can't wait for that glorious new era to begin.  
  
AGATHA: Always dwelling on the negative. No wonder your girlfriend left you. (off Willow's look) Oh, don't look at me like that. I can destroy you with a thought, and we both know it. Now get out of here. You have some thinking to do.  
  
Willow stands still.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): You have until tonight. I'll meet you outside after dark. You know where. (points at the book) Don't make me hunt you down. We'll still end up there. It is written. It is done. (pause) I trust you'll make the right decision.  
  
Agatha turns her attention back to Neil Gaiman. She no longer even acknowledges Willow. This conversation is over.  
  
FOCUS on Willow. Her face betrays that she doesn't know what to do.  
  
INT. - THE MAGIC BOX, EARLY EVENING.  
  
Anya is closing up the store, when a face appears at the door. It's Giles. She opens it, happy to see him, but his face looks grave. Her look changes to match his.  
  
ANYA: Uh-oh. Who got killed now?  
  
GILES: Ah, n-no one. I just came by to tell you something.  
  
She moves aside and he walks in.  
  
ANYA: Uh, okay. What is it?  
  
GILES: I'm leaving tomorrow.  
  
Anya's face shows disappointment.  
  
ANYA: Why? Where are you going? (slaps him on the shoulder) With this Antichrist goo-thingy about, how could you?  
  
GILES: That's exactly why I'm leaving, Anya. I'm going back to London, only temporarily. I'm going to involve the Council in our battle with Mabus. We may need their resources, plus many of the members are more familiar with the relevant prophecies than I am.  
  
ANYA: But he could strike at any time.  
  
GILES: You'll all have my number, and I'll return the moment something happens, but to be honest, I don't know how much good I'll be in a fist fight with Mabus. Or Buffy herself, for that matter. I think I can be of more help this way.  
  
ANYA: I was afraid of this. Dawn could tell, too. She told me last week you were getting restless. Is it that friend you told us about?  
  
GILES: Well...yes, that has a little something to do with it. At my age, one can't afford to take chances when someone comes along. You never know when it's your last chance.  
  
ANYA (raised eyebrow): Wait 'till you get my age.  
  
He smiles. Her youthful appearance makes it easy to forget she is older than any of them.  
  
ANYA (cont'd): I just think you could be more help here. And I'm not just talking about Mabus. About...being a friend. To someone who doesn't have any.  
  
GILES (getting it): You have friends here, Anya.  
  
ANYA: No, I don't. Xander has friends. Xander was my connection to them. Now I don't have that connection anymore and I'm on the outside. I don't fit. Not here, not in the demon world.  
  
GILES: Do you still love Xander?  
  
ANYA (ashamed): Yes.  
  
GILES: But you don't believe you can reconcile with him?  
  
ANYA: I believe Xander when he says he loved me. But I don't know if he could have ever married me. Even if that old man hadn't shown up, looking back I don't think he'd have gone through with it.  
  
Giles looks up at her, surprised.  
  
ANYA (cont'd): I'm a demon. Xander has issues with demons.  
  
GILES: Imagine that.  
  
ANYA: Some people are just prejudiced like that. But if you'd seen his family at that wedding, boy, let me tell you, they had no room to talk. One of my demon friends said Xander's father was the most sickening man he'd ever met. And that demon lives on an all-vomit diet!  
  
GILES: I'd suspect Xander might agree with him. About his father, not the diet.  
  
ANYA: Do you think Xander's right to feel the way he does? Do you think I'm not good enough for him?  
  
GILES: No, Anya, I don't believe that at all. And I don't think Xander believes that, either. But Xander, he sees the world in black and white, in certain terms. I envy him that, sometimes. It makes decisions easier to make.  
  
ANYA: Just because a decision is easier for you to make doesn't mean you're making the right one.  
  
GILES: I understand that, Anya. And speaking of decisions, have you made yours yet?  
  
ANYA: What do you mean?  
  
GILES: Well, you said you felt like an outcast in the human world and the demon world. Have you ever thought it may be because you have one foot in each? Perhaps it's time for you to choose.  
  
ANYA: That's just the thing. About black and white. There was always some humanity in Anyanka. And there's always been some Anyanka in Anya.  
  
GILES: So you can't choose one over the other? Separate the two? The human and the demon?  
  
ANYA (sad, about to cry): Once you've been both, you can't ever go back. You can't just make a wish and change who you are. I tried, but no matter how you choose, the other part is always there. And no one can accept that. So you end up alone.  
  
Giles suddenly feels a wave of sympathy for this demon/woman, who may not be perfect, but is honestly trying to do the best she can. He goes over and hugs her gently.  
  
GILES: Oh, Anya. You're not alone.  
  
Anya lets the sobs go as Giles holds and comforts her.  
  
INT. - SPIKE'S CRYPT  
  
Dawn pushes door to crypt open. The room is dark, with only a bit of outside light casting shadows within. She takes a breath and steps inside.  
  
SPIKE: Go home, Nibblet.  
  
It is a feeble, wistful command, but a command nonetheless. Dawn steps toward the voice.  
  
DAWN (harshly): Why did you come back?  
  
Spike takes a breath, then there is a beat.  
  
DAWN: Xander said you hurt Buffy. (She takes a step forward.) Tried to... (She shakes her head-can't say it) Hurt Buffy.  
  
There's a shadow of a movement against the wall, like a hand waving her off. She can almost see now - pick out the chair, the television. The old sarcophagus in the far part of the space. She stalks toward it, angry.  
  
She stalks toward it, angry.  
  
DAWN: Talk to me, dammit! Did you? Did you try to hurt my sister? RAPE my sister?  
  
SPIKE (groaning): Bit...  
  
DAWN: Don't call me that!  
  
She rushes towards him, grasping his upper arms. Stops with a shocked expression at his thinness. Spike jerks away.  
  
DAWN: Oh, Spike...What have you done?  
  
Dawn realizes that tears are running down her face. Tears of anger, and now fear.  
  
He tries to back away from her, burrow into the wall. His own tears make his voice rough.  
  
SPIKE: Never meant to hurt her. (Tears wet his cheeks.) Not her. Not ever.  
  
DAWN: Why did you come back?  
  
She is no longer angry. Her arms drop to her sides.  
  
He covers his face with his hand, slowly slides down the wall and comes to rest at her feet, pulling his knees to his chest.  
  
She gets angry again at his passivity.  
  
DAWN: I hate what you did. Xander told me. I didn't believe it. (Beat) Couldn't believe it. Now I see... (She looks down at him. He does not look up.) Tell me you didn't do it! (She screams out the words, dropping to her knees.) Buffy won't say. Says I won't understand.  
  
Tears roll down her cheeks unheeded. She sees the glistening of matching ones on his own face.  
  
DAWN (almost begging): Lie to me, Spike! Please! Tell me you didn't!  
  
She's crying, sobbing out the words as she hits his chest with her fists. He sits quietly, hands by his sides, body jerking from the blows.  
  
DAWN: Why did you come back?  
  
She sinks against him, hands still on his chest, feeling his rending sobs.  
  
DAWN (whispers): Why did you go?...Why did you go?  
  
He puts his hand on her hair.  
  
SPIKE: Had to, didn't I? After what I did - what I tried to do. Had to fix it. Make it right. (He laughs bitterly) Now I know. Never be right. Some things you can't come back from.  
  
DAWN (quietly): But you're sorry.  
  
Raising her head, she tries to search his face.  
  
DAWN (cont'd): Tell me you're sorry.  
  
He shakes his head. His voice is raw with pain.  
  
SPIKE: Can't undo some things, no matter how you try.  
  
DAWN: Did she hurt you? Is that why you hurt her? Cause I know you and her were...  
  
SPIKE: No, Dawn. Not her fault. She broke it off. No screamin', no yellin'. (Voice cracks) Said she was sorry. (He bangs his head against the wall) Stupid git... that's me... wouldn't take no for an answer. Stayed after her - worryin' at her. And then...  
  
DAWN: You have to tell her! Tell her you're sorry. Fix it! It can't be all you. You've got a side. I know you do!  
  
SPIKE: Dawn. Don't have a side. Don't deserve a 'side.' What I did was wrong. Evil. (sad chuckle) Was right all along, she was. Fancy that.  
  
He sits up and pushes her away gently, getting to his feet, and braces himself against the wall, looking down at her.  
  
SPIKE: Go home, Nibblet. Big sis'll be worryin'. I've given her enough grief and so have you. Not givin' her extra.  
  
He walks toward the trap door, his footsteps sounding sad and defeated. Nothing of 'Spike' in them.  
  
The footsteps stop.  
  
SPIKE: Go home.  
  
He disappears down the stairs.  
  
Wrapping her long arms around her now cold body, she gets up and heads to the door, ignoring the tears drying on her face. Never looking back, she hugs herself tightly and takes the path toward home.  
  
Fade out.  
  
  
  
ACT III  
  
INT. - THE SUMMERS' HOME  
  
Dawn enters the kitchen. She has been crying.  
  
BUFFY: Dawn? What-  
  
DAWN (angry): Nothing. Nothing's wrong.  
  
She leaves the room.  
  
Buffy starts after her, then stops. She turns to the sink and picks up a sudsy  
  
plate. Dawn returns.  
  
DAWN: I went to see Spike.  
  
Buffy spins around.  
  
BUFFY: You did what? Are you nuts? With Drusilla in town?  
  
DAWN: So? I had a stake. I can handle myself. And he was at the crypt. Alone. ( A beat) Something's wrong with him.  
  
Buffy turns back to the sink.  
  
BUFFY: Well, he IS Spike.  
  
DAWN (shaking her head): Not Spike. He's different. Not...cocky. Not anything. I think he's broken. (A beat) Don't you care?  
  
BUFFY (sighing): Of course I care.  
  
DAWN: I tried to ask him about...what Xander said...  
  
BUFFY (closing her eyes and shaking her head): Oh, Dawn. What did he say?  
  
DAWN: Not much. He was too busy crying! He acts like it's all his fault - you  
  
and him and all that. But I don't believe it. I don't believe it was all him.  
  
BUFFY: No.  
  
DAWN (angry): Somebody tell me SOMETHING!  
  
She stomps her foot, then stares at Buffy's back.  
  
DAWN: You did stuff to him, too, didn't you? Didn't you?  
  
Buffy turns around and stares into Dawn's eyes.  
  
BUFFY (sadly): Sit down, Dawn.  
  
Dawn hesitates, then sits. Buffy sits on the edge of a nearby chair.  
  
BUFFY: I was messed up last year. Real, real messed up. And I didn't feel like I could tell anybody. You didn't need to hear it. Will and Xan? They didn't want to hear it. Spike did. So we talked. A lot. Cause I didn't have to hide anything from him...or pretend to be okay. And then, things just...got out of hand.  
  
DAWN (nodding): You did do something.  
  
BUFFY (laughing): Something? I did a lot of 'somethings.' I was angry. I was scared. And he was there. To catch 'The Worst of Buffy 2001.' I punished him for how I felt about...well, life.  
  
DAWN: So Xander was wrong.  
  
BUFFY: No... Not wrong. But he doesn't know everything. Or anything. (She shakes her head.) Doesn't matter now, though. It's over and done and...  
  
DAWN: Buffy, I don't think he's eating. And he's messed up way more than you were. He acts crazy. But not, you know? He sounds so lost, so sad. Buffy, I'm scared. No matter what you and Xander say, I love Spike and I'm scared!  
  
BUFFY: I don't know what I can do, honey.  
  
DAWN (angry): Do? I think you've DONE enough! Undo it. Fix it!  
  
Buffy reaches out and covers her sister's hand with hers.  
  
BUFFY: Dawnie, probably the best thing I can do for him is stay away.  
  
Dawn pulls her hand away and jumps out of the chair.  
  
DAWN: Oh, right. Cause that's what you're good at, isn't it? If he helped you at all, you owe him! He helped you, didn't he? Even with...everything, he helped you?  
  
Buffy drops her eyes and stares at the table.  
  
DAWN: You may be the slayer, but you're a coward! If something happens to him, I'll go to Dad. I swear I will! Cause I won't be able to stand to look at you!  
  
BUFFY: Dawn!  
  
DAWN: I mean it! Fix this. Fix HIM!  
  
BUFFY: Honey, I don't think it's as bad as you think it is. You know how dramatic he is. This is Spike. He'll be fine. He always is.  
  
DAWN: Buffy, I almost wrapped my fingers around his whole arm! He's starving!  
  
And you don't care?  
  
Tears roll down Dawn's cheeks.  
  
BUFFY: I can't...  
  
DAWN (screaming): I hate you! Hate you! You do something or I'm calling Dad tonight!  
  
Buffy watches as Dawn sweeps out of the room.  
  
EXT. - OUTSIDE BUFFY'S HOUSE, NIGHT.  
  
Xander is walking from his car to the front porch as Buffy closes the door behind her.  
  
BUFFY (a little guilty): Oh, hey. What are you doing here?  
  
XANDER: I came to talk you out of going where it is you're going.  
  
BUFFY: Going on patrol? You've never tried to talk me out of that before.  
  
XANDER: Buffy, this is me you're talking to. I know you, and right now my bullshit- ometer is on overload.  
  
She stops and puts her hands on her hips.  
  
BUFFY: Okay. Fine. Maybe I am going where you think I am. I haven't made up my mind yet.  
  
XANDER: I think you have. The question is, 'why?' What do you expect?  
  
BUFFY: I don't know, I just...Dawn went to see him. She's real upset.  
  
XANDER (upset): Well, so am I! I don't-was Drusilla--?  
  
BUFFY: No. Drusilla must have dumped him and left. She was probably out feeding.  
  
XANDER: But if she had been there...  
  
BUFFY: Yeah, I know. I told her, but...she takes a few fighting lessons from Giles and now she seems to think she's ten feet tall and fang-proof.  
  
XANDER: Unfortunately, it looks like she does. But you didn't answer the question. Why are you going?  
  
BUFFY: I don't know. Dawn said some things...about how he was. The things he said. I just have to hear it from him.  
  
XANDER: Hear what? He'll say anything, Buffy. Haven't you realized that yet?  
  
BUFFY: Dawn said he was different this time. He wasn't cocky. He wasn't defending himself.  
  
XANDER: What defense is there?? He tried to RAPE you, Buffy! What does it matter what he says now??  
  
Buffy can't answer. Xander makes a good point. And yet.  
  
She looks at him with eyes that plead for him to relent. He gets the message.  
  
XANDER (sighs): I just don't want you to get hurt. You've been so much better lately. You've been adjusting, getting back into life, getting your groove back. I can't help but believe it had something to do with that bastard being gone. And now that he's back, I just don't want you to let him infect you with his disease again. Drag you down.  
  
BUFFY: That's not what this is about. I won't let that happen again. I'm not in that place anymore.  
  
XANDER: I've tried to understand how you let him get so close. Tried to be fair. But it just defies explanation.  
  
Buffy takes a deep breath. Thinks about how to explain something she doesn't even fully understand herself.  
  
BUFFY: When I came back...I couldn't feel. I was numb. I just needed to feel something...intense. Dangerous. Powerful. Whether it was good or bad it didn't matter, as long as it was intense. It was unhealthy, and it couldn't last, but...  
  
Xander's look shows that he's understanding her.  
  
XANDER: And now? Do you still need that feeling?  
  
BUFFY: No. I'm not where I was then. Who I was. I'm me again. And that's not what I need anymore.  
  
Xander laughs softly, reflecting.  
  
XANDER: Y'know, the other day I thought of a conversation we had years ago. You and me and Willow. When we compared love lives and how we had all dated mantises and robots and vampires and such, and we were all doomed to end up alone. Now, here we are, years later. I'm just getting over a broken engagement with a demon, and you've just split up with another vampire. Did you ever think maybe we gave up on the human race too soon?  
  
BUFFY: Maybe. And I intend to do something about that. Next boyfriend has got to have a soul.  
  
XANDER: A pulse wouldn't hurt either. They don't have to be dead for it to be intense or powerful.  
  
BUFFY: I know. And I don't have to be with someone right now. I'm okay. I'm complete. And when I am with someone again, it will be because I want to. And it will be someone I can trust as much as I trust you. That's really important to me right now.  
  
Xander smiles, happy to see that Buffy is emotionally strong again.  
  
XANDER: Be careful with him. You don't belong down there in his world, Buffy. He belongs in a grave, but you don't.  
  
BUFFY (nodding): I know that. I do.  
  
XANDER: Please. I can't stand to lose you again.  
  
BUFFY: You won't. The thing with me and Spike. It was destructive. And it's over. But I need this, Xander. I need closure.  
  
Xander realizes he's not going to talk her out of it, but he still wants to have his say. His voice is soft, but his words aren't.  
  
XANDER: You want closure? Stake him. God knows he's given you enough reasons. And he'll never be out of your life until he's ashes. Deep down, you know that.  
  
Having said his piece, Xander turns and walks away. As Buffy watches him go, she looks tired and uncertain.  
  
EXT. - ILLUSIA, NIGHT. AT THE POND.  
  
*Agatha is played by Elizabeth Anne Allen  
  
Willow walks to the pond. The night is still. She looks into the pond, but at the moment the faces are quiet. So is everything else. No sign of Agatha. Willow turns her back to the pond, faces the house and waits for Agatha's arrival.  
  
Finally, it comes, and not the way Willow expected. The wind kicks up, blows steadily harder. Willow has to shield herself against it. She looks up and sees a whirlwind descending. It brings Agatha with it. It looks like the scene with Willow at the end of "Villains," except in reverse, a descent instead of an ascent.  
  
The cloud dissipates, and Agatha takes a bow, smiling, holding the story book in one hand. Willow is unamused.  
  
AGATHA: I suppose you've had time to think about my offer.  
  
WILLOW: Well, I've been pretty busy with other things, but it's crossed my mind.  
  
AGATHA: And...?  
  
WILLOW: And...what exactly are you proposing? I'm just supposed to hand over my soul or something?  
  
AGATHA: Of course not! What do I want with your damn soul?? I don't even use the one I've got! (laughs) I just want your power. And I'd suggest you give it willingly. You've already met some who didn't. They're the ones who lost their souls.  
  
Behind Willow, the voices start up. She turns to look into the pond. The water faces are rising to the surface, once again taking up their despondent chant.  
  
WATER FACES: heeeellllppp uuussss ssssaaaavvvveee uuussss coooolllllddddddd lossssttttt ssssaaaavvvveee uuussss heeeellllppp uuussss coooolllllddddddd saaavvvveee-  
  
Willow isn't freaked out this time. She pretty much expected this. She looks back at Agatha, who walks up to Willow, her arms outstretched.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): Take my hand, Strawberry. Relinquish the power. Face it, you weren't meant for it. You don't have the ambition. You don't know what to do with it, how to handle it responsibly. You don't even want it, do you? Don't you want a normal life with your friends? Won't they be more likely to accept you back if you don't have the world-destroying power anymore? Give me the power...and walk out of here.  
  
Willow looks as if she's about to give in. Her hands reach for Agatha's. Agatha smiles triumphantly, reaching back for Willow. They join hands.  
  
.and a BOLT of orange energy rips through Agatha, knocking her back.  
  
WILLOW: That's what I've supposed to have been learning here this week. How to use power responsibly. See? I'm learning! I know enough not to give it to you.  
  
Willow raises her arms and fires another energy bolt, white this time. It takes Agatha off her feet and deposits her in the grass. Agatha looks dismayed.  
  
WILLOW (cont'd): Now THAT would be irresponsible.  
  
Willow firing again. Agatha squealing, writhing in pain.  
  
WILLOW (cont'd): Now I will be walking out of here. And if you want to do the same, you'll put Amy back like she was right now!  
  
Willow fires her most powerful blast yet.  
  
AGATHA: Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!  
  
And then Agatha is quiet, still, apparently unconscious. The only sound is the drone of the damned water faces, telling us how cold they are, and imploring us to help them/save them. That, and the crackling of power around Willow, now subsiding.  
  
Suddenly, there is a huge disturbance in the middle of the pond behind Willow. It happens so quickly she can't even react. A giant sea snake in the middle of the water rises up, uncoils, and STRIKES at Willow. It is so big that it catches her in its mouth, picking her up into the air. She screams, startled, flailing in vain.  
  
Agatha gets back up off the ground as if she was never hurt at all.  
  
AGATHA: You made your choice, Strawberry. You chose magic.  
  
The seas snake pulls Willow under the water. We see her struggling under the water, in its mouth. Then it seems to disappear. She comes to the top of the pond, legions of water faces imploring her to take away their torment.  
  
The water people have entire water bodies now, and they pull at Willow. She struggles to stay afloat. Agatha just walks to the water's edge, regarding her calmly and with false regret.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): And it's like I tried to tell you, with magic there are always consequences.  
  
Willow is pulled down again. She fights at the pleading water people, their aqueous whispers all around her. When she comes up again, we see from her POV, Agatha, kneeling, looking at her all I-told-you-so.  
  
AGATHA (cont'd): I guess now you'll never forget that.  
  
Willow loses her battle and quits struggling. The faces now draw back into the pond, and it is still again. Willow's body becomes still, lifeless in the water. She sinks beneath it, arms and legs outstretched, eyes open.  
  
Satisfied, Agatha turns away and heads back to the house, opening the book to the last page.  
  
AGATHA: Deep down, you knew it was going to happen. You saw it all before.  
  
C.U. on it. It's the same page we saw at the end of Act I. The pretty red- haired witch Strawberry lying in the pond, drowned.  
  
CUT TO: Willow in the pond. The scenes are identical.  
  
Blackout.  
  
  
  
ACT IV  
  
EXT. - ILLUSIA. THE POND. NIGHT.  
  
Silence. No musical soundtrack or anything. Only quiet, except for the gentle, peaceful sounds of the water. Willow's body is sinking into the lake, her final descent. Suddenly, a whisper echoes through the water.  
  
TARA (watery): Willow...  
  
Willow's body is still in the dark water, still sinking. We hear her voice, but her lips are unmoving.  
  
WILLOW: Tara?  
  
A strange echo remains over their voices while Willow is in the water. Their lips never move as they speak, but their eyes are open.  
  
TARA: Remember how you said you would always find me? Well, it goes both ways. We live in separate worlds now, but I will still always find you.  
  
Tara comes into view. She moves face-to-face with Willow. Tara is a light in the dark water, a glow around her. We see by her light. She appears nude, although it is hard to tell from the glow. We can only see her clearly from the shoulders up.  
  
WILLOW: Are you here to guide me? To bring me across to the other side?  
  
TARA (shaking her head): No. It's not time.  
  
WILLOW: Then why...?  
  
TARA: Remember what you promised me? To believe in nothing but yourself and me. No matter how things look. No matter what you think is possible. Write your own story. Don't believe hers. You think you know. What's to come, what you are.You haven't even begun.  
  
Tara puts her arm around Willow's neck, pulling her close. She opens her mouth and presses it to Willow's. Willow is surprised at first, but quickly responds. They are KISSING passionately now, Willow's arms wrapping around her. The glow that had enveloped Tara now swirls around Willow.  
  
Camera backs off to show them together, floating, much as they looked at the end of "Family," except that they are hovering in water instead of air. Finally, the glow is so bright that it obscures them both.  
  
CUT TO: Agatha, walking away from the lake, triumphant, her arms wrapped around the story book, hugging it to her breast. Behind her, we can see the lake, dark. Something glows under the still water. It spreads. The entire lake lights up. Agatha is still walking away, oblivious.  
  
The camera moves past Agatha, behind her, focusing on the lake. The glow recedes, but something emerges.  
  
C.U. on Willow, as she crawls out of the lake and into the high grass. She looks up in Agatha's direction. She's majorly pissed.  
  
CUT: Back to Agatha, still walking away, satisfied. Willow can barely be seen in the distance.  
  
WILLOW (far away): Hey!  
  
Agatha stops, stunned. For the first time, something has happened that she didn't anticipate. She looks incredulous as she turns around.  
  
Willow is on her feet now, dripping wet and walking toward Agatha.  
  
WILLOW (cont'd): Where are you going? You aren't just gonna leave me hanging, are you? What about that ball of sunshine? You said you'd help me with it. I want to give it to my friend Buffy. We have a lot in common now, me and Buffy. We've both drowned.  
  
A look back at Agatha. She can't believe what she's seeing. How can this be happening?  
  
WILLOW (cont'd): Did I ever tell you what Buffy did to the person that drowned her? Maybe I should show you.  
  
AGATHA: But-but the story was complete.  
  
WILLOW: Yeah, but it lacked that special something. I mean, don't you hate it when a book is too predictable? I always like it when they throw in a twist at the end. Don't you?  
  
A blast of mystical energy comes off of Willow, lighting up the night. It makes its way to Agatha. She screams as her body twists into an impossible position.  
  
Agatha grunts in rage and with a burst of willpower, she flings off the energy. But as she looks at Willow, she is scared now, unsure of what will happen.  
  
AGATHA: Where are you getting your power, Strawberry? I should have it all.  
  
WILLOW: How can you take it? You don't even know where it comes from.  
  
AGATHA: I know everything there is to know about power!  
  
WILLOW: Then you should know that love is the most powerful force there is. The one thing that can succeed when everything else has failed. A good friend taught me that. And that's one force you have no knowledge of.  
  
AGATHA: Okay, so you've reclaimed your power. But do you think that's enough to beat me? You can't begin to fathom my power. All the power of all the witches and warlocks who've been trapped in that lake. They all belong to me. My power is that of legion!  
  
WILLOW: No, I don't think so. I think your power is deception. Fear. You win because you make people believe it's inevitable. Your story is your power. But I don't believe everything I read. Time for a re-write.  
  
Willow holds out her hands. Pinkish energy zaps from them to the book. Agatha gasps as the book is sucked from her hands. It flies onto the ground between them, pages turning.  
  
As Willow's power flickers like lightning in the air, we can see the pages intermittently in the light. Words and pictures are disappearing, as if erased from the pages. New words are being typed by an unseen writer. A rainbow of color swirls through the air and lands inside the pages. Pictures begin to appear.  
  
Agatha panics and reaches for the book. She turns the pages, looking for the last page. We don't see what she sees, but it obviously terrifies her. She looks up at Willow in awe.  
  
WILLOW: This world is just as it is named, isn't it? Illusia. It's an illusion. You have no power. There are no souls in the lake. There are no snakes in the water or unicorns in the woods. You tried to trick me into giving my power to you, because you really couldn't take it.  
  
Willow's eyes glow red, but do not black over this time. She fires her thickest burst of magical energy yet. It lifts Agatha off her feet and catapults her through the air all the way down to the edge of the lake. As she tries to shake off the effects of the landing, she is grabbed from behind by the hair.  
  
Willow waves her hand, causing more light in the edge of the lake. Agatha looks into the water, seeing her reflection and...  
  
...she is OLD again. She looks herself over in disbelief. She no longer has Amy's body.  
  
WILLOW: You're a trickster. That's your magic. But magic has consequences. That's the one thing you said that wasn't a lie. Time to face them.  
  
Willow looks up into the night sky. A large shape blocks out the stars, swooping down. Agatha turns to look up at it. It's the giant bird descending. In the darkness, about all we can see are the glowing red eyes, coming closer.  
  
AGATHA: Aaaahhhh!!!!!  
  
Agatha's screams get further away as she is picked up by the bird and taken off into the night sky. Then the shape of the bird and Agatha turns into an electric blue cloud of energy, which streaks back toward the ground and into the book. The book bounces off the ground, slams shut audibly, and lands back on the grass.  
  
AMY (O.C.): What's going on? Willow?  
  
Willow turns to find Amy lying near her in the grass. It's the very spot where the bird had picked her up earlier.  
  
AMY: D-did a giant bird pick me up?  
  
WILLOW: No.  
  
AMY: So, did it pick her up, then? Because for a while, it kinda seemed like I was-Am I a rat?  
  
WILLOW: No. I changed you back, remember? And there was no bird either. Except in the story. (off Amy's look) I'll explain it later. On the ride back home.  
  
AMY: So you think you're ready to go home now?  
  
WILLOW: Yeah. I'm ready. You might have to drive a while. I'm pretty drained. I feel like I could sleep for days.  
  
AMY: Okay. Hey, do you think we should pack first, or should we just make a run for it?  
  
WILLOW: We can pack. There's nothing dangerous here. Unless you count me.  
  
Willow smiles, but Amy doesn't return it. She's still trying to figure out what the hell's going on, and just who her friend has become.  
  
AMY: Where is my grandma? Now?  
  
Willow walks over to the "Starwberry" book on the ground. She picks it up and turns to the last page. She holds the book open in her left arm, while her right hand gives off sparkles of light for them to see by.  
  
The last page looks to be a copy of an earlier one, except now it's an old woman instead of a rat-girl who is being carried off by the giant bird.  
  
ZOOM IN: A closer look shows that the old woman doesn't appear to be a drawing at all, like the rest of the book, but a photograph. It almost looks like she might be moving, struggling in the grip of the bird's talons. We might have even heard a tiny sound.  
  
Willow shuts the book. Even the cover has changed. It now has the house and grounds on the front, with mists all around. And the title is no longer "Strawberry," but "Illusia."  
  
WILLOW: Right where she wanted to be. In a world made out of a fairy tale.  
  
AMY: So not one part of this was real?  
  
Willow pauses, considering.  
  
WILLOW: One part of it was.  
  
Amy looks at Willow, waiting for her to explain, but she doesn't. She just stares into the dark lake. Finally, Amy gives up.  
  
AMY: Well, I'm going to pack and start loading the car. Coming?  
  
WILLOW (still staring): In a minute.  
  
Amy walks away and Willow kneels down at water's edge. She puts one finger into the lake, tracing a ripple in the water with just enough magic to make it glow faintly.  
  
WILLOW: Bye bye, baby. I'll always love you.  
  
In the watery glow, a trick of the light makes it look as if we can almost make out Tara's face under the water. But then the ripple stills, the glow is gone, and so is Tara.  
  
Willow gets up and begins to walk back in the darkness toward the old house.  
  
INT. - SPIKE'S CRYPT, UPPER LEVEL  
  
Buffy enters the crypt. It is bare, except for a few squat pillar candles. She  
  
picks up a long match and lights one. It sputters as the overlying dust catches fire and burns. The wick flares twice and holds steady.  
  
He hears a scrambling sound from down below. Turning, she stands for a moment staring at the trap door, before picking up the candle and starting down the stairs.  
  
INT. - SPIKE''S CRYPT, LOWER LEVEL  
  
SPIKE (harshly): Go away!  
  
Buffy descends to the lower level, swinging the candle to try and see. The  
  
cave contents are burnt and blackened.  
  
BUFFY: Spike?  
  
She swings the candle around, trying to pierce the darkness. Squinting, she tries to catch a glimpse of the vampire, but all she sees is blackened debris.  
  
Silence hangs in the cavern, until a hollow laugh breaks it.  
  
SPIKE: 'Spike' doesn't live here anymore, pet.  
  
BUFFY: When did you get back?  
  
SPIKE: Dunno really. Days. Months. S'all the same. Ask Clem. He knows.  
  
Buffy continues to look around the room, trying to see him. The echo of his voice makes it difficult to tell where he is - and the single candle does little to help.  
  
BUFFY: Where are you?  
  
Suddenly, she hears it again. A scraping of fabric against stone.  
  
SPIKE: Nothin' for you here, Slayer. Nothin' good, anyway. Please, just go.  
  
BUFFY: Like that's gonna happen. You upset Dawn. She upset me. And I want to know where the hell Drusilla is.  
  
SPIKE: Dunno. Don't care, really. About anything. S' a lie. Care about everything. Every buggerin'...  
  
BUFFY: Stop it!  
  
Buffy's losing patience fast.  
  
SPIKE (more forceful): No.  
  
Buffy moves towards the direction of his voice, near the wall. She bends down,  
  
and the candlelight reflects from his hair. He sits in the scorched remnants of  
  
his bedspread. His brown roots have grown out, leaving his hair tips blond.  
  
His knees are pulled up to his chest.  
  
BUFFY (quietly): What's wrong?  
  
She carefully inches forward.  
  
He laughs bitterly, and she reaches out, grasping his shoulders. Shocked at what she feels, she lets him go, and he burrows farther back into the wall and his nest.  
  
BUFFY: Oh, God. Spike, what happened to you?  
  
SPIKE (chuckling dryly): Been thinkin' about that.  
  
As he continues to chuckle bitterly, she wraps her arms around her body, hugging herself as she begins to feel cold and scared.  
  
SPIKE: Always thought he was such a bleedin' wanker, after. Always cryin' and  
  
moanin'. Lost all respect for him. We all did.  
  
BUFFY: Spike, what have you done?  
  
SPIKE: I just wanted it to stop, Buffy. I wanted to be like I was.  
  
BUFFY: You got the chip out.  
  
Silence. She waits for the answer, fingering the stake in her pocket that she'd brought with her.  
  
SPIKE (long pause): Dunno, really. Funny, that. Maybe. Dunno. Maybe... Always whinin' and broodin'. Eatin' rats when he thought no one saw. Didn't get it. So bloody superior. (crying) Who's the poof now?  
  
BUFFY: Spike! Stop it!  
  
A shaking hand reaches out to touch her face. She freezes, as the candle lights the tears rolling down his cheeks.  
  
A song begins to play: Sheryl Crow's "I Shall Believe." It plays softly in the background until the final lines of the scene are spoken, then is turned up.  
  
Come to me now/ Lay your hands over me/ Even if it's a lie/ Say it will be all right/ And I will believe/  
  
Broken into/ And I know you're on to me/ That I only come home/ When I'm so all alone/ But I do believe/  
  
That not everything is gonna be the way you think it oughta be/ It seems like every time I try to make it right it all comes down on me/ Please say honestly/ You won't give up on me/ And I shall believe/  
  
SPIKE: So sorry, Buffy. Never wanted to hurt you.  
  
She is motionless. He drops his hand.  
  
BUFFY: I know that. I knew it that night. But I was really mad at you. And  
  
then, you were gone, and...  
  
SPIKE: Had to do somethin', didn't I? Couldn't go on... that way. And the  
  
chip? Well, that's when things went bad. Thought it was makin' me weak,  
  
soft... Evil, just like you always said. Like you ALL said.  
  
BUFFY (crying): Spike, please stop it.   
  
(beginning to panic) Come upstairs. It's... dirty down here.  
  
SPIKE: All burnt up, innit? I was burnt, too, you know? Fought a demon with flamin' hands. Marked me up good, but I beat him. Beat 'em all. Should 'a seen it, Buffy. (breathes deeply) I set 'em up, and knocked 'em down. Took all they had, and then some. Got what I went for, too. This! My REWARD. (laughs)  
  
What a cosmic joke! From hell to more hell. (sighs) God, I feel for Angelus, right bastard that he is. It IS a bloody curse.  
  
BUFFY (whispering): You have a soul?  
  
SPIKE: Yeah. Doesn't fit very well, does it?  
  
He turns his face back to the wall.  
  
BUFFY (harshly): You went out and WON a soul? Why?  
  
SPIKE (crying): I couldn't... I didn't...  
  
He puts his head in his hands.  
  
SPIKE: Can't stand it, Buffy. Thought I could. But I can't do it. It hurts. And being all alone, livin' this...  
  
BUFFY: Alone?  
  
She reaches out and touches his shoulder.  
  
BUFFY: I'm here. Dawn's here. You're not alone.  
  
He sobs once and buries his head in her lap. She reaches down and touches his hair.  
  
BUFFY: Shhh. It's all right. Shhh.  
  
Camera pulls away, Buffy holding Spike as he cries.  
  
Fade out. 


End file.
